Beat
by Mist on the Glass
Summary: Sasuke returns to Konoha at the hands of Naruto. They can't bring themselves to admit all that is lost and found between them, until Sasuke finds himself lonely, and doesn't know where to turn. One-Shot, NaruSasu.


Yay for one-shots! *NaruSasu alert!*

Okay, so this is after Itachi's been killed, but none of the stuff after that happens. So, in this fic, Itachi WAS actually bad.

Just know that Sasuke comes back to Konoha after killing Itachi.

Well, Naruto brings him back. XD

'Fight it Out' by 'Ghost of a Stranger' followed by 'Currents' by 'Dashboard Confessional' Sum up the atmosphere of this story. :)

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Beat

Uchiha Sasuke had never been one for displays of affection; in fact, he couldn't stand them, _especially_ if they were in public.

He shied away from Sakura if she tried to give him a friendly hug when greeting him.

He ducked if Ino tried to wrap her arms around him from behind.

He turned and ran if Kakashi came any closer than a metre radius would allow, unless of course, the two were in the midst of a training battle, not that they did that very much anymore. Kakashi was no longer Sasuke's teacher, afterall.

He did, however, allow Naruto's fist-to-fist 'respect' punches, out of an act of friendship, and so he wouldn't complain. Occasionally Sasuke even managed to crack a smirk when said punch was initiated. Punches weren't all he was willing to allow. Not with Naruto.

Sasuke was aimlessly walking the streets – solitary was usually his favourite way of doing things, however today something was…different.

Sasuke was lonely.

To most normal people, this would be insignificant; everyone gets lonely sometimes.

Not Sasuke. He had lived nearly his whole life in solitude, consequently becoming immune to loneliness.

The pang of loneliness that shuddered through his being shook him. He didn't understand. He'd never been lonely, not since he was young, and had missed his family. That was until the revenge took over; it was nearly all that Sasuke thought about.

After his revenge was completed, and Sasuke had grudgingly returned to Konoha, he'd never once felt lonely.

He'd always been surrounded by people since his miraculous return, _one_ person in particular.

It seemed that the orange-clad nuisance didn't want to leave him alone, in case he decided to leg it once again.

Even though Sasuke had promised he wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon, Naruto remained unconvinced, requesting of Tsunade that the ANBU watch over the raven at all times.

Sasuke pretended not to notice the animal-masked people spying on him, but truth be told he knew he was always being watched, and it bothered him.

At this point in time, Sasuke was wandering around Konoha, in search of something to do. _I wonder if anyone's around. Some company would be great._

"Sasuke-kuuuuun!" _Oh no. Not Ino. I want company, not a thorn in my side._

"What are you doing out here all by yourself, eh, Sasuke-kun? Were you looking for _me_?" Ino leapt down neatly off the tree branch she had been sitting on, watching the clouds. But pursuing Sasuke made for much better entertainment in the blonde's eyes.

"No, I was _not_ looking for you. I was walking. _Alone_," The stress Sasuke put on the final word made it clear he wished his walk to remain that way.

Well, that wasn't necessarily true, but being alone was better than hanging out with Ino in the raven's opinion.

"Do you want to walk together?" Ino asked outright, hoping Sasuke had the intellect to realise an offer such as this could not possibly be refused by someone as beautiful as herself.

"No, thank you."

_Why not?!_ Ino's mind took over, complaining about Sasuke's lack of intelligence. By the time Inner Ino (1) had finished her rant, Sasuke had vanished.

_Okay, definitely not Ino. Too much of an annoyance. _ Sasuke continued his walk, determined to find _someone_ to be in company with.

"Sasuke!" _Kakashi? What's he doing here? Shouldn't he be on a mission right now?_

"Hn."

"What are you doing, wandering around? Shouldn't you be training or something?" Kakashi beckoned Sasuke over, so that they were walking side by side.

"I have nothing to train for, anymore."

"But still! You could move up in the ranks. After all, you and Naruto are _still_ only Genin."

"Well, I guess that's what comes with not setting foot in the village for about three years. That goes for Naruto, too."

Kakashi ignored the sarcastic remark, continuing his ninja-based pestering: "So, are you going to take the Chuunin exam?"

"That depends."

"Are you waiting for Naruto?"

"I don't really fancy being all alone in the Forest of Death, thank you _very_ much. I wouldn't be able to let my guard down for one second."

"Touché."

"Besides, Naruto _wants_ to take the exam. I don't even need to wait for him. He's ready."

Kakashi shrugged, burying his nose back into his perverted novel, not looking where he was going. Sasuke was surprised that Kakashi had _never_ walked into a lamppost for as long as he had known him. _Well, he__** is**__ a Jounin._

"Say, Kakashi..."

"Hmm?" Murmured the man, not looking up from his book. If he had he would have seen a very interesting expression on his former student's face.

"Why is it, that I'm...lonely? Is that normal?"

Kakashi, who had always been one of the men that Sasuke had trusted the most when he was younger, glanced up from his book, with a surprised look. It was unlike Sasuke to make confessions. Very out of character. But then, he wasn't the thirteen year old boy with revenge on his mind that he was when Kakashi had been close to him. Sasuke had changed since those darker times, times when a day didn't pass when Sasuke's thoughts weren't filled with his one ambition: The death of Itachi.

Three years had passed. It was only natural for changes to take effect. _Especially on a boy as troubled as this one._

"I suppose because you've been alone for so long, you should be immune to loneliness by now. But... coming back to Konoha, and seeing all the friendships that have formed while you've been away, it's enough to make anyone even a little bitter. They are friendships that you once had, before you left. Maybe, subconsciously, you feel as if you're missing out," Kakashi paused. "I'm sure you can get them back to as strong as they were before."

Sasuke's eyebrows rose. _The only__** strong**__ friendship I had before I left was with Naruto. What does Kakashi know, or what does he __**think**__ he knows..?_

"I've seen the way you look at each other," Kakashi said, after another pause.

"Who?" Sasuke asked, playing dumb; playing it safe.

"Naruto and yourself, of course. Who else?"

Sasuke frowned, but internally his heart was racing. _How does Kakashi know that I'm talking about Naruto? I never even mentioned him, and I know that Kakashi can't read minds or anything bizarre like that. Is it really that obvious? How can he tell so much from just watching Naruto and I __**look**__ at each other? _

"You forget that I am a Jounin. I've been on countless missions, missions where the objective was to get close to a particular person... reconnaissance missions. I can decipher people's expressions, and for someone as emotionless as yourself, seeing _that_ look on your face hinted _something_ is going on between you two.'"

Sasuke, deciding that it was pointless denying Kakashi's conclusion, merely asked: "What do I do?"

"To what?"

"To get rid of the loneliness."

"You have to figure that out on your own."

Sasuke nearly face-palmed. _Well that was a__** great**__ help._

"Although..." Kakashi said thoughtfully, "I would have thought it should be pretty obvious, judging by our conversation. If you can't figure it out, then you don't have nearly as much smarts as I thought you did."

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_So I talk to Naruto. But, what do I say?_

Sasuke was flopped on his bed in his apartment, mulling Kakashi's words over amongst the blankets. He had been ceiling gazing for the best part of two hours, and the raven _still_ hadn't come to any worthwhile decisions about what he should do to ease the pain in his heart that he was sure was not real. Sasuke was not physically hurt; there were no wounds on his chest where the pain was emanating from to speak of.

So why did it hurt, even when he was just lying still?

Sasuke hadn't missed the fact that when he thought of his blonde friend, the pain subsided a little; strengthening his view that speaking with him was the correct course of action.

_C'mon Sasuke, think. Think of it as a mission. What would I do if faced with a situation such as this which had to be dealt with directly?_

_I would talk to the person, obviously._

_..._

_But, it's Naruto, so it's __**different!**_

_Why am I finding this so difficult? I'm an Uchiha. Uchiha don't __**have**__ problems like this. Uchiha hide their true feelings; a stoic mask. It's always come naturally to me; I've always __**wanted**__ to avoid others out of choice, not blood. _

_But how that's changed, I don't know how to respond!_

A sharp knock on the door broke Sasuke out of his reverie.

"Sasuke? Sasuke?! Are you there? Open uuuuuup!"

Bang Bang Bang.

"SASUKE!"

Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang.

Sasuke, who had at first thought the audible banging was coming from the door, placed his hand on his heart, only to realise that it was coming from there.

And getting faster.

"SASU-"

"If you say another word, I'll beat you so hard you'll wish you'd never spent so long trying to get me to come home," Sasuke muttered darkly through the letterbox.

He slowly unlocked the door, praying his racing heartbeat wasn't noticeable.

"You're a bastard," Naruto growled, pushing past Sasuke and opening his fridge, reaching inside for the milk, and, to top it all off, drinking it straight from the carton.

Sasuke raised his eyebrows at the scene before him, seeing only one bastard in the small apartment, and a hypocritical one at that. "You should use a glass next time you call me a bastard, bastard."

Naruto didn't even look at Sasuke. No glare, no snide comment. Nothing.

Sasuke was confused. What happened to hyperactive Naruto who would probably pour the milk in question all over Sasuke's head?

"So, what do you want, anyway?" Sasuke asked, trying to relieve the odd tension that had appeared - like magnets, two forces repelling, pushing them further and further apart. The fact that it had come out of nowhere was slightly worrying. An invisible barrier had been summoned into the space between the two boys, and Sasuke couldn't figure out what it was made of.

"Nothing," Naruto muttered. "I don't know why I bothered."

The barrier was almost visible, now. Sasuke continued to probe, trying to break it down. Something was bothering Naruto; that much was clear. _But, what? He seemed pretty cheerful when he was hammering on my door. What could have happened in between then, and now?_

Sasuke replayed the scene in his head, finding nothing but banter between himself and his friend. The raven was at a loss. _What is going on?!_

"Wait, hold up," Sasuke decided to make up what he was going to say as he went along - he would improvise. He had been waiting to pluck up the courage to talk to the blonde all day, and now here was his chance. He was not about to let it go to waste.

"What's wrong, Naruto? Is something bothering you?" Sasuke had been expecting Naruto to launch straight into his complaint like he always did when someone asked him what was wrong, but this time, he didn't. He just crossed his arms, still holding the milk in his hand. Sasuke prised it from his fingers, and returned it to the fridge.

He pretended not to notice Naruto's flinch as their fingers made contact.

"Naruto. What is wrong?"

"Nothing. I have to go."

"Don't tell me you came all the way here, practically knocked my door down, just so you could have some milk?"

"Mine's expired."

"Liar."

Naruto tried to push past Sasuke, who was standing between him and the door.

"Just tell me what's wrong," Sasuke repeated in what he hoped was a pleading tone.

"What's it to you?! You were probably going to up and leave anyway, why do you care about those that you are just going to leave behind?"

"What are you talking about?! I'm not going anywhere! Are we even talking about the same thing, here?!" Sasuke exclaimed, now completely lost. One minute they had been talking about Naruto, and why he was down, the next Naruto was accusing him of running away again!

"Do you really think that I'd ever have given up? You really have no idea, do you?! You don't even _know_ me anymore."

"_What_._ Are. You. Talking. About?_"

"'If you say another word, I'll beat you so hard you'll wish you'd never spent so long trying to get me to come home.'" Naruto quoted, glaring daggers at a surprised Sasuke.

Sasuke's eyes widened, finally understanding what was going on. "Naruto..." He said, stepping back from the blonde, giving him his space.

"I'd never have given up. Ask anyone," Naruto murmured, looking down at his hands. Those hands that had the power to dislodge trees, throw boulders, and return bitter Uchiha to where they belong.

"Why? You could have done so much more. You could have-"

"None of that mattered," Naruto growled, glaring at nothing. "All I wanted was for you to be safe. Heck, I would've helped you get Itachi if you'd just asked. I would've done anything. I just wanted you by my side, and you have the nerve to go and say something like that. Why did I fucking bother, huh?! Tell me that much!" Naruto's voice had been increasing in volume, and now he was shouting at Sasuke, who wore a startled expression.

Sasuke had no idea that Naruto felt so passionately about this. He knew that Naruto wanted him to come home, and that he was determined, but the foolish raven had assumed that had he continued to evade Naruto, (which Sasuke wouldn't have done anyway) he might have given up searching. How wrong he was.

"I had no idea..."

"Like hell!" Naruto yelled. "You knew that I would've done anything for you, yet you ran away, anyway. Why do you think I trained so fucking hard, huh? To win Sakura's heart? To impress the villagers? Fuck, I did it so I could bring you home!"

Sasuke's eyebrows shot into his hairline. There had always been an undertone to his own training, too. Of course he needed to kill Itachi, but beyond that, Naruto's face loomed on the horizon. The raven had in fact village-hopped, finding information about various people that Konoha ninja might be sent to bring down, maybe in the bingo book, in the hope of stumbling into Naruto again.

And he had been in luck, but it had taken nearly a year. And even then they fought before they returned to Konoha. But, underneath it all, Sasuke had _wanted_ to come home at the hands of Naruto. And Sasuke hadn't even needed to let Naruto win like he'd been planning. Naruto was stronger than he was.

Sasuke smiled faintly, wishing that Naruto had the attention span to listen to everything that had just flashed through his head. "Naruto. I had no idea that I meant that much to you, but... you mean a lot to me, too."

_There. I said it._

"What did you say?"

"You mean a lot to me. Did it ever cross your mind that I _wanted_ to come home?"

Naruto's eyes widened in shock. He had nothing to say to that. Unless... "THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU?!"

Sasuke smiled for the second time that day, smiling straight into Naruto's increasing frown. "Because I wanted you to do it. I wanted you to bring me back. I wanted you to persuade me. You were the only one that could. I wasn't going to come back of my own accord. I'd never be accepted. But if you, Uzumaki Naruto, brought me back, then you would be hailed as a hero, and I would be let back into the village."

"So you could've come back sooner, but instead you waited for me to do it?!"

"Yes."

"Why the hell would you do something like that?! I would've begged Tsunade to let you in!"

"Naruto. What did you want, back then?"

"To bring you home."

"Exactly. Do you really think I could've denied you that? I fulfilled my dream; I thought you should fulfil yours too. I looked for you in all the right places, and eventually I found you."

"You were looking for me?"

"Yes."

"How long for?"

"A year."

"One _pissy_ year is nothing like the _four _I spent looking for you!"

"I thought you might say that."

Naruto attempted a smile, but even though it was weak, Sasuke could see it. The barrier had been broken down, but now all that was left was raw emotion, emotion that couldn't be tapped, couldn't be stopped, stemmed, or bottled.

"Did you let me win?" Naruto inquired, after a pause. Sasuke knew exactly what Naruto was talking about, and he had known this question would come at some point, and Sasuke would tell the truth, no matter how much it injured his pride.

"No."

"Honest?"

"I'm telling the truth. When I came across you, I was intending to let you win, so you'd take me back, but then when we started to fight...you were stronger. You were stronger than me, Naruto."

"Because I'd been fighting for you for longer. I knew I wasn't going to lose the second time. I never go back on my word, remember?"

Sasuke nodded. "You didn't."

"I didn't, and I never will."

That raw emotion that was swimming around them increased, until it was nearly at choking level. It was stifling the pair, who looked at each other across the abyss that was the kitchen linoleum - both too lost to say anything, too confused to do anything, too paralysed to move anywhere.

Naruto couldn't leave, and Sasuke couldn't stop him, so they made do with burning holes in each other's eyes, until they were ablaze.

Naruto wanted nothing more than...

Sasuke wanted nothing more than...

As the two edged their way out of their paralysis, they stumbled towards each other, into a slightly dysfunctional, yet at the same time relieving embrace. They swayed, and Naruto steadied them, not wishing to fall to the floor. Their bodies fit together like two estranged puzzle pieces, two spoons in a drawer, orange on a black backdrop.

As they closed their burning eyes, Naruto failed to notice the tear that slid down Sasuke's cheek, and Sasuke failed to notice the slight increase in pressure of Naruto's arms around him, keeping him safe, always.

Because now that they were together, they were never going to let each other go.

Because a relationship that was born amidst fierce flames would remain fierce forever, burning forever, as brightly as possible.

Sasuke checked his heartbeat, and noticed that it was normal again.

He wasn't lonely anymore.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Well, it's over. :) That was a lot of fun.

(1) If Sakura gets one, then Ino gets one too. XD


End file.
